


Dreadlock Ranch: Series 1

by GingerDreads



Series: Dreadlock Ranch [1]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: Coming of Age, M/M, dreadlocks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21705445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerDreads/pseuds/GingerDreads
Summary: Feeling out of sorts with the world, Vincenzo begins to seek a new purpose. By chance, he finds a group of people that inspire him, leading him to a new outlook on life, and a new hairstyle at the appropriately named Dreadlock Ranch.
Series: Dreadlock Ranch [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1564456





	Dreadlock Ranch: Series 1

Life after university was pretty boring for Vincenzo. He had studied and achieved his degree in mathematics, but there wasn’t any real job he was interested in. Life at home was dull, and his dad was constantly nagging him to get a job so he could move out and get out of his hair.

Speaking of hair, Vincenzo’s dad strongly disapproved of his hair choices. Ever since he was a kid, Vincenzo always wanted his hair to be long. He had thick, brunette curls, and they were the bounciest, most voluptuous curls he had seen on anybody. He loved them, but his dad firmly believed that men should have short hair, having never grown his hair longer than a couple of centimetres.

“That will be two dollars forty-nine,” the cashier requested. Vincenzo was simply buying a chocolate bar – he couldn’t afford much else living at home with no job.

“Here you go,” Vincenzo handed the exact change over, picking one of his hairs back out of the cashier’s hand. They got everywhere – the downside of having so much of it.

“Don’t worry about it, your hair is awesome,” the cashier complimented. She was a similar age to Vincenzo, and her dead straight hair rested perfectly on her shoulders, “I always thought you’d end up on Dreadlock Ranch. You’d rock it.”

“Huh? What’s Dreadlock Ranch?” Vincenzo had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

“Haven’t you seen it? The cabin by the lake, it’s owned by this one guy who rents it out to a group. Every one of them has dreads, it’s like a rule,” she explained. It sounded pretty awesome – guys with dreadlocks were Vincenzo’s biggest weakness.

“I’ll check it out,” Vincenzo smiled, taking his chocolate bar and exiting the store. He had indeed seen the cabin before, but assumed it was private property. Thankfully, it was on his route back home.

Two minutes down the road and sure enough, the cabin was in view. Cautiously, Vincenzo approached it. He felt like he was trespassing, though he was simply intrigued. He passed a sign, initially shrouded in the trees of the surrounding forest area, which had “Dreadlock Ranch” carved out on it.

The cabin seemed quiet, though it was hard to tell during the day. There were no cars about, or any sort of vehicle – it was just the cabin. Vincenzo felt weirdly nervous – it was new, and he wasn’t sure what he would say if he saw anybody.

“Hey, curly,” he heard a voice call out. He looked up to the cabin door to see a man, no more than a couple of years older than him, with long, messy brunette dreadlocks down to his waist, “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, I’ll go,” Vincenzo got nervous, turning around to leave.

“Wait,” he called back, “You’re intrigued, huh?”

Vincenzo nodded, scared to say much because this guy had an air of importance surrounding him.

“Come in,” he commanded. Vincenzo’s heartbeat began pumping. He wasn’t expecting this. He just wanted to be a little nosey.

Inside the wooden cabin was a slight musky smell. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have the usual scent of air freshener or cleaning products like most houses. It wasn’t decorated much either – a reasonably small living space with a couple of couches and a television in the middle, with four side rooms. Three other guys were sat with their feet up watching the television, all of them had varying types of dreadlocks.

“Welcome to Dreadlock Ranch,” he introduced, “I’m Lawrence.”

“Vincenzo,” he replied nervously.

“Some neat curls you’ve got there,” Lawrence complimented.

“Thanks,” Vincenzo nervously replied, “Your dreads are way cooler.”

“Guessing you want some yourself? I mean, that’s why you’re here, right?” Lawrence assumed. Vincenzo wasn’t sure how to answer. He hadn’t had a chance to consider what he wanted yet – this had happened on a whim.

“Maybe,” Vincenzo vaguely replied, “Do you live here?”

“Yup. I own the place, everyone else lives here for free, providing they participate in the upkeep of the cabin and surrounding area,” Lawrence explained.

All of a sudden, Vincenzo thought he had the perfect solution to his problems.

* * *

_**Dreadlock Ranch** _

Series 1, Episode 1

"Curls"

* * *

Vincenzo felt a little like a circus attraction. He was the guy who didn’t have dreadlocks, suddenly invading their property, so the other guys seemed fascinated by him. That said, he was equally fascinated by them – dreadlocks always looked incredible.

“Look, let me run through some ground rules, then you can decide if you’re interested,” Lawrence began, “We’ve got a spare bed for one guy. You must be polite to everyone, you must be tolerant of everyone, and most importantly, you must have dreadlocks.”

“But I don’t,” Vincenzo responded timidly.

“It can be a work in progress,” Lawrence clarified, “As long as there’s no comb, scissors or conditioner in sight, you’re all good.”

The idea was appealing to Vincenzo so far. The idea of growing his hair longer, letting it dread up, was pretty cool. It made him feel excited.

“Does that mean I can’t wash my hair?” Vincenzo wondered. He never really understood how dreadlocks were formed.

“Common myth,” Lawrence responded, “You can avoid washing if you want, we don’t judge, but most dudes prefer to. Just no conditioner, it makes it damn near impossible, even with curls like yours, Curly Fries. Let me show you where you’d be sleeping.”

He opened the door to the first room on the left-hand side, revealing two single beds with a nightstand in the middle. Another lad was lying on the left-hand-side bed. His dreadlocks were the best so far – they were thick and a dirty-blonde colour, with only about seven or so in total on his head.

“This would be your roommate, Shrew,” Lawrence introduced.

“Hi, I’m Vincenzo,” he added. The musky smell seemed to intensify in that room. Shrew had his top off and feet out, wearing only cropped jeans.

“I’ll leave you to talk,” Lawrence pulled the door shut.

“Dreading up, huh?” Shrew sat up, putting his book on the nightstand. Vincenzo sat on the empty bed opposite.

“I think so,” Vincenzo responded, “It’s all happening so quick, but this would solve every single one of my problems at home.”

“You’re welcome to share, though some can’t handle sharing with me, I don’t wash my dreads,” Shrew informed, “Or separate, as you can see.”

“I don’t mind,” Vincenzo responded honestly, “You’ve got the best dreads of anyone I’ve seen.” Shrew chuckled politely.

“Your curls are pretty awesome too, dude,” Shrew added, “Almost a shame to lose them. Wanna come and see up close?”

Vincenzo nodded as Shrew came to sit next to him on the spare bed. He looked away so Vincenzo could see his dreads fully. They were so thick and wide, with some incredible, intricate hair patterns in the knotting.

“Don’t be afraid, have a feel,” Shrew suggested. Vincenzo picked one up. It felt lighter than he thought, and the texture was surprisingly smooth. He really liked it. He really liked Shrew, too – in more ways than one.

“How’s it going?” Lawrence re-entered the room, forcing Vincenzo to snap out of the moment.

“Good,” Shrew responded, smiling in a friendly manner.

“I gotta go home, I need to talk to my dad,” Vincenzo thought logically. This was a lot to take in so suddenly, and he needed to tell his dad, who was sure to disapprove. There was still a long road ahead.

“Give me a call,” Lawrence handed a pre-prepared post-it note to Vincenzo with a phone number written on it. Vincenzo prayed he would get to use it later that night.

The thought of bringing the topic of Dreadlock Ranch up with his dad made Vincenzo nervous. There was no way he would see it as being the solution Vincenzo knew it was, and would instead see it as a way to avoid work and become some sort of hippie.

Change wasn’t something that came so easily to Vincenzo, but he was excited. Dreadlock Ranch had been on his mind all evening. Shrew was at the forefront of his mind. Everything he saw, touched, smelt and heard in that room was stuck with him.

Standing up to look in the mirror, Vincenzo looked at his curls. He loved them, and was extremely proud of them. He went to run his fingers through his hair, but stopped just in time – untangling the knots was exactly what he didn’t want to do. The curls had been amazing but dreadlocks would be even better.

“Hey, I’m home,” his dad poked his head around Vincenzo’s bedroom door. He had to tell him now.

“Hey, I’ve got some good news,” Vincenzo nervously informed, “I might have got a job, kind of.”

“Oh, really? How much you making?” dad immediately asked. He had almost missed the point – not even a question of where he would be working.

“Not a lot, but they provide accommodation at the ranch down town. Contribute to the upkeep and I can live there rent free,” Vincenzo explained. He wasn’t ready to give out the details.

“Moving out, huh? Good for you son, when do you go?” dad wondered. He didn’t even seem to care that much – this wasn’t anything new.

“Later on,” Vincenzo replied. His responses were making him more and more determined. All he had to do was give Lawrence a call.

Packing up his things had been weirdly cathartic for Vincenzo. He’d finally had a chance to sort through his belongings and decide what he wanted to bring and what he didn’t. After all, if he forgot something, it wasn’t like he was moving far away, and Dreadlock Ranch wasn’t a prison.

The walk to his new home felt way too long, especially carrying a rucksack and a tote bag full of his stuff. On the way, he cheerfully chucked his comb into the bin. He hadn’t packed any hair products, though he hadn’t decided if he was going to follow Shrew’s au naturel route, or actually watch his hair yet.

Lawrence was waiting for him at the cabin door, like a proud parent. Inside, the entire group of guys were sat on the sofas, as if they had been anticipating his arrival.

“Time for some introductions,” Lawrence said, “Take a seat, dude.” Conveniently, there was a space next to Shrew, so Vincenzo made himself comfortable, “This is Vincenzo, our current curly kid, soon to become an awesome dreadhead.”

“Hi,” Vincenzo awkwardly smiled to the group. Lawrence nodded at Shrew – time for everyone else to introduce themselves.

“I’m Shrew, we met already,” Shrew shied away. He seemed like more of a recluse in front of the group.

“I’m Jack,” the first guy on the adjacent sofa spoke up. His dreadlocks were messy and hanging below his shoulders, and a bright ginger in colour.

“Renato,” the next guy said. His dreads were halfway down his chest, and generally quite neat. They were a mix of colours – blonde and brown, the former through hair dye.

“Hey, I’m John,” the final guy said. His thick afro hair was knotted into thin dreads that ran as far as his shoulders – they looked pretty new.

“Alright. You’ll start work in the morning, Curly Fries, tonight’s your time to settle in. We’ll eat in thirty,” Lawrence explained. Vincenzo nodded. He glanced around the group – most of them had already turned their attention back to the television.

Tidying his things away in his new bedroom, Vincenzo was adjusting to the surroundings. His wardrobe was filling up with clothes, and the bedside table featured all of his essentials, but it was going to take some time to consider this place his home.

“Need a hand?” Shrew entered the room, bringing the stronger musky scent through with him.

“I think I’ve got it,” Vincenzo replied, zipping his rucksack back up and shoving it under the bed.

“Have you thought much about the dreads yet?” Shrew wondered, sitting down on his bed.

“All day,” Vincenzo responded honestly, “I chucked my comb, and I didn’t bring any of my products. I’m kinda improvising right now.”

“That’s all cool, it takes time,” Shrew replied, “Everyone here does things differently. John washes every couple of days, Renato does a deep clean every month, and Jack washes every few weeks.”

“That’s not often,” Vincenzo pointed out. He used to wash his hair every two days without fail, or he would drastically notice the effects.

“It’s about finding the balance,” Shrew informed, “Or just not bothering, like me.”

“Does it not bother you?” Vincenzo was trying to ask questions without coming across rudely.

“You mean the smell? Not at all,” Shrew thankfully understood the question, “I kinda like it. I’m guessing you do too, if you’re happy sharing with me.”

“I suppose we’ll smell together,” Vincenzo smiled. Shrew made him feel some type of way, and he couldn’t totally describe what it was, but it felt good.

“Here for it, Curly Fries,” Shrew smiled back, taking his top off like he had earlier that day.

“I guess that’s my nickname now,” Vincenzo chuckled, lying back on his bed, on top of the duvet. He took his own top off, his bushy curls covering his nipples.

“Maybe I’ll think up a new one for you,” Shrew raised an eyebrow playfully. Vincenzo could tell they were going to get along well.

That night, Vincenzo had made an attempt to socialise. Everyone except Shrew was sat watching _America’s Got Talent_ on the main TV. What he seemed to understand was that although spending time together was by no means compulsory, they enjoyed each other’s company. It felt pretty cool to be part of such a like-minded group of people.

How each of them dressed seemed to vary. John was fully dressed, as was Lawrence, but both Renato and Jack had their tops off. In fact, Jack was only wearing his boxer shorts. Clothes seemed to be optional at the ranch, though with six men, it hardly mattered. Vincenzo was sitting without his top on, though he felt a little out of place. However, it was too hot for any more layers, the heating was strong.

What Vincenzo didn’t understand was why Shrew preferred his own company. Maybe he was simply just a recluse, but there had to be more than that.

“God, I gotta wash these bad boys tomorrow,” John commented on his hair.

“I’m about a week overdue, but I can’t be arsed to wait for them to dry,” Jack added.

“So that’s where the smell’s coming from,” Renato teased.

“Hey, I’ll go full on Shrew if you don’t shut it,” Jack laughed. Shrew seemed to be the butt of the joke. Vincenzo pretended not to hear anything.

“Play nicely dudes, come on,” Lawrence reminded. Though he seemed to essentially be another one of the guys, he was still the head honcho of Dreadlock Ranch, and the rules needed to be upheld.

“It’s true though, he literally scared a guy off with his smell,” Renato said. For the first time since he arrived, Vincenzo felt uncomfortable. He wanted to stand up for Shrew, but he clearly didn’t know the full story.

“Dude, calm it down,” Jack seemed to be the only one showing some remorse, “Curly Fries, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Vincenzo awkwardly replied. Jack stood up and moved to the sofa Vincenzo was occupying, leaving the other two to bitch among themselves.

“Sorry, I know Shrew’s your roommate,” Jack spoke nicely, “He’s cool, we just don’t see much of him.”

“It’s okay. I’m new, I don’t know everything,” Vincenzo tried to be logical and reasonable.

“Fancy a walk?” Jack offered.

“Alright,” Vincenzo agreed, knowing this would be a chance for some bonding, and perhaps a few answers.

The air outside the cabin was notably colder, with a bitter feel on Vincenzo’s skin. Thankfully, he had dressed up with his puffy coat keeping him as cosy as possible, complemented by his bushy curls insulating his cheeks and ears.

Jack was taking him along the riverside, towards a second small cabin just along the forest. The view was gorgeous and picturesque as the sun set along the horizon. It felt like a perfect winter night.

“I could tell you weren’t comfortable in there,” Jack began conversation, “I promise, they’re not always so stupid. Lawrence keeps them in check.”

“It’s okay,” Vincenzo brushed it off. He wasn’t going to be holding grudges on his first night.

“Shrew’s cooler than they realise, I’ve had a few chats with him and he’s nice, just very shy,” Jack explained.

“And he smells too bad for them, right?” Vincenzo presumed.

“Lawrence created Dreadlock Ranch to be free from prejudice. Race and style won’t come into anything, but some people are snobs,” Jack explained, “I’ll tell you a secret. I hate washing my hair. It gets damp and takes hours to dry. I only do it because I know they’ll take the piss otherwise.”

“I’m not gonna wash mine,” Vincenzo replied, “I love Shrew’s dreads.”

“Hey, really? That’s brave,” Jack looked on proudly.

“I don’t care if they hate me, and neither should you,” Vincenzo advised, “My life has changed so much today, for the better, and I’m not going to let idiots ruin what I want to do any more.” He felt liberated. Finally, he was in a position where he could do whatever he wanted.

“You’re right, dude,” Jack agreed, “No more washing it is, though I guess I should look for somewhere else to sleep when John kicks me out of our room.”

“I mean, there’s not much room, but you’re free to share with me and Shrew,” Vincenzo offered, “Well, providing Shrew agrees, he was there first.”

“You’re the sweetest,” Jack had a glow about him that he didn’t have earlier. Vincenzo felt delighted – he felt like he’d already made a difference, “Hey, this is where you’ll be working.”

They had reached the second cabin, which was a cute riverside shop. Vincenzo had never seen it before, but it was the perfect scenic place for a beverage.

“Here? Why?” Vincenzo wondered.

“Lawrence’s family owns the business. We get paid for our work here, and he takes a little off for living costs, though it’s not much, he’s pretty awesome,” Jack explained. It felt extremely reasonable, and Vincenzo was surprisingly excited to get stuck in.

Arriving back at the ranch, Vincenzo very quickly unwrapped his extra layers of clothing. The cabin was still boiling hot, and quite honestly, he would have preferred to be naked in order to deal with the extreme heat.

“There you are,” Lawrence smiled welcomingly, “Just wanted to check in with you.”

“I’ll see you later,” Jack unwrapped his scarf and coat and slipped into his bedroom, opposite Vincenzo’s own.

“How are you settling?” Lawrence sat on the now-empty sofa, previously occupied by Jack, John and Renato.

“Fine, everyone seems nice,” Vincenzo half-lied. Three out of five seemed nice, but the jury was out on Renato and John.

“I’m glad you’re happy sharing with Shrew, as you can guess that’s been the hardest spot to fill,” Lawrence unsurprisingly revealed.

“Shrew’s great, he’s been really nice,” Vincenzo made sure to sing his praises, “Hey, Jack showed me where I’ll be working.”

“Oh, cool,” Lawrence seemed impressed, “I’ll show you the ropes in the morning. Don’t worry, we’ll start you off easy.”

Vincenzo was pretty pleased at just how considerate Lawrence was towards him. He genuinely cared – it had been a long time since Vincenzo had felt care for.

“Oh, and I left a few things you may or may not find helpful on your bed,” Lawrence explained, “Some dreadlock essentials. Shampoo, if you’d like it. beads, wraps, just some cute decorative bits.”

“That’s so nice,” Vincenzo smiled. He knew he wouldn’t need the shampoo, but it was a thoughtful gesture nonetheless.

“Go on, get some sleep. I think Shrew’s still up,” Lawrence encouraged. Vincenzo felt extremely positive for the first time ever. While not perfect, Dreadlock Ranch was exactly what he needed.

In the bedroom, Shrew was still reading with the bedside lamp on. He had stripped down to just his boxers for the night, and quite frankly, Vincenzo was ready to do the same. It had been a long and pretty exhausting day, and now he had a new bed to try out.

“Sorry, do you want the light out?” Shrew politely wondered.

“No, it’s okay, I don’t want to disturb,” Vincenzo politely replied.

“It’s my first night sharing in ages, I’m not used to it,” Shrew confessed, “How was the walk with Jack?”

“Good, he’s not so bad,” Vincenzo responded, stripping down for bed, chucking the clothes on the floor to be sorted in the morning.

“You mean, not as bad as the other two, right?” Shrew inferred, not incorrectly.

“Yeah,” Vincenzo felt bad for gossiping, but Shrew was right, and he needed all the support he could get, “He said some nice things about you, you know.”

“Shame he can’t say them to my face,” Shrew sighed.

“I think he’s considering not washing his hair any longer too,” Vincenzo relayed.

“Really? Damn, that’s brave, he shares with John, who can’t stand to be around me. He’s such a neat freak,” Shrew was taken aback.

“I know. He was worried about getting kicked out, but I said we’ll find room, if that’s okay with you,” Vincenzo mentioned, not wanting to impose.

“Sure, I guess this is the smelly room after all,” Shrew looked proud to be saying that. For the first time, he didn’t seem to be shamed to be himself, “Hey, you need sleep. Big day tomorrow, starting work and all that. I’ll switch this off.” Shrew flicked the bedside light off as promised. The room was covered in darkness as Vincenzo attempted to get comfortable. He tossed and turned on his new mattress, though it felt weird. It wasn’t _his_ bed, even though it needed to be.

“Can’t sleep?” Shrew obviously picked up, “Hey, move the bedside table to the end of the room.”

Vincenzo wasn’t sure why he requested this, but nevertheless, he unplugged the lamp and pushed the small table out of the way. Shrew then heaved his bed directly against Shrew, and climbed back on top.

“A little comfort,” Shrew justified. Vincenzo felt a warm, fuzzing feeling in his tummy. This felt _good_. He climbed back onto his own bed, noticing Shrew was very close to the partition where the two beds met. Vincenzo kept a similar distance, looking into Shrew’s eyes. They looked so angelic, and his face was so pretty.

Shrew flung his dreads round in front of his face. They were resting directly in front of Vincenzo’s nose. He could smell their gorgeous musk up close. It was amazing.

“Sure you want this?” Shrew smiled playfully, waving the biggest one around.

“More than anything,” Vincenzo replied. He felt sick, though he couldn’t tell if it were nerves or excitement. Something special was about to happen – he could tell.

After a few moments of just gazing into each other’s eyes, Shrew leaned in to kiss Vincenzo. It felt magical and quite unlike any feeling he had ever felt before. The gentle sensation of Shrew’s lips against his was unbelievable.

Shrew pulled back; an overjoyed smile painted onto his adorably cute face. He was blushing, from what Vincenzo could make out in the tiny glimmer of moonlight he had to light up the room.

“That was…cool,” Vincenzo was lost for words. He had kissed people before – a couple of girls, notably – but none of them felt as alive and as electric as that did.

“Cool? I’ll take that,” Shrew chuckled, “Hey, turn over, I’ve got the solution to your insomnia.” Obeying. Vincenzo swapped sides to face the wall. He felt Shrew snuggle up directly against him, wrapping his arms around his chest, one of his huge dreads resting on Vincenzo’s cheek. He felt so at ease around him.

“Comfy?” Vincenzo checked, not wanting him to be uncomfortable for his sake.

“I’m lying among your gigantic mane. I’ve never been more comfortable, Curly Fries,” Shrew replied, snuggling up further.

Vincenzo was in awe He had never felt so happy, and it had all come out of nowhere, in one day.

Finally, life was good.


End file.
